At the HearstLab CEO Summit, we hosted four founder-led roundtables on the topics our founders were most eager to dig into together. Now, we're sharing key takeaways to keep the conversation going! First up...
“Building a Standout Brand” was moderated by Julie Novack (CEO, PartySlate) and Ana Gerst (VP of Brand Marketing, Bodily) and delivered tactical strategies for how early-stage companies can break through the noise with smart brand marketing:
🗣️Tailor your messaging to the buyer - Your customer may not care about your “why” at first. Meet them where they are by uncovering their real pain points and objections, then market to them in their voice.
Pro tip from Julie: short on time? Ask to shadow a customer for half a day. It’s one of the fastest ways to understand how your solution fits into their world.
🏆 Build brand credibility - Every business needs a human face. As a founder, be visible in the channels where your customers are, like LinkedIn. A lightweight personal brand strategy can go a long way: connect your personal values to your product’s value, share consistently on your platform of choice, and lead with authenticity > polish.
📊 Tie marketing to business outcomes - Good marketing doesn’t just generate clicks, it drives pipeline. Collaborate with Sales to identify where leads stall and market to customers at these crucial touchpoints to move them upstreams. Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLS) → Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) → revenue.
We also geeked out on AI tools like HeyGen which helps startups scale marketing content without losing their brand voice. We’ll share more AI tools we are excited about in our “AI Hacks for Startup Growth” roundtable recap. Stay tuned 👀